Dress



Jan. 7,1947. M, HAYES 2,413,826

- DRESS Filed June 25, 1945 Patented Jan. 7, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE DRESS Mary B. Hayes, Columbia, S. 0.

Application June 23, 1945, Serial No. 601,271

2 Claims.

The invention relates to a dress especially adaptable for small children, and particularly for little girls.

The essential object of the invention is to provide a dress adjustable in both length and width so that it may be Worn by a growing child for several years without alteration.

A further object is to provide a dress without buttons, and one capable of being laid out flat so that it may be easily laundered.

A still further object is to provide a dress that is simple, comfortable, pretty, and durable, and one economical to manufacture.

The invention can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawing in which- Fig. l is a front elevation of the dress.

Fig. 2 is a back elevation when the waistband is most contracted; and I Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2 excepting that the waistband is shown expanded.

In the drawing I represents the waist portion of the dress open in the back; 2 is the skirt, and 3 the waistband.

The waist may have any conventional form, and is stitched to the top of the waistband. The waist is preferably made of ample width to cover, at least in part, the sides of the childs body,

The sk rt connects with the bottom edge of the waistband. The top edge of the skirt is gathered in its attachment to the waistband so that the skirt will open up or flare outwardly in the manner of open pleats.

The Waistband and skirt are split in the back, and the attachment of the skirt extends to the free ends of the waistband. The length of the waistband and corresponding width of the skirt, at the point of its attachment to the waistband, are such that both the waistband and skirt will overlap in the back for any adjusted expansion of the dress at the waistline.

Formed in each of the free end portions of the waistband are openings 4 in the nature of large buttonholes, in fact the openings are preferably each finished with a buttonhole stitch. These openings are spaced some distance apart, and the spacing of the openings in each of the respective end portions of the waistband are preferably alike, so that when the end portions of the waistband are brought into overlapping relation a certain set, or sets, of the respective openings in the respective end portions of the waistband will align with one another, and this dependent upon the width adjustment of the waistband. When the sets of openings are brought into alignment for effecting the most narrow limit of adjustment, as shown in Fig. 2, then there is considerable overlap of both the end portions of the waistband and the attached skirt portions, but the overlap should be confined to the back, and in any event should not be such that there will be any overlapping of the waistband and skirt in the front. The positioning of the openings should also be such that when the waistband is overlapped to the limit of its afforded width adjustment, as shown in Fig. 3, the overlap of the skirt portions will be ample to prevent gaping.

Attached to the waist, and preferably with attached extension along the sides of the waist to connect with, or spring from, the waistband in front, are shoulder straps 5, 5. These straps pass over the shoulders of the wearer and are crossed in the back, and the free tieable ends of the straps then passed through a spaced set, or sets, of aligned openings in the respective portions of the waistband dependent upon what openings are in alignment after adjustment for width. The straps are then pulled down, depending upon the height of the child, and the ends tied. Thus is provided adjustment for both length and width. In Fig. 2 it will be seen that the ends of the straps are passed through two sets of aligned openings, and afterwards the ends of the straps may be tied. In Fig. 3 there is only one set of aligned openings through which the ends of the straps are passed. The ends of the straps may then be tied, and the knot will prevent the ends from drawing back through the openings, or the ends may be passed over the waistband to the right and left and then drawn through the remaining left and right openings, after which the ends may be tied.

I claim:

1. In a dress the combination comprising a waistband, a nether portion of the dress connected with the waistband and dependent therefrom, the waistband and nether portion being split in the back and of such extension as to overlap in the back for adjusted expansion of the dress at the waist, the free end portions of the waistband being provided with spaced openings circumferentially arranged with spaces between the openings substantially equal for each of said end portions whereby as the end portions of the waistband are brought into overlapping relation certain sets of said openings in the respective end portions of the waistband will align with one another dependent upon the width adjustment of the dress, and shoulder straps connected to the dress in the front and with free tieable ends passable in the back through aligned sets of said openings in the respective end portions of the waistband dependent upon the adjusted width of the dress at the waist and with drawing extension through said aligned sets of openings dependent upon the length of the dress,

2. In a dress the combination comprising a waistband, a nether portion of the dress connected with the waistband and dependent therefrom, the Waistband, and nether portion. being split in the back and, of such extension as to overlap in the back for adjusted expansion of the dress at the waist, the free end portions of, the waistband being provided with spaced openings circumferentially arranged with spaces between the openings whereby as the end portions of the waistband are brought into overlapping relation certain sets of said openings in the respective end portions of the waistband will conjoin with one another dependent upon the width adjustment of the dress, and shoulder straps connected to the dress in the front and with free tieable ends passable in the back through conjoining sets of said openings in the respective end portions of the waistband dependent upon the adjusted width of the dress at the waist and with drawing extension through said oonjoining sets of openings dependent upon the length of the dress.

MARY B. HAYES. 

